Sustainable Business Awards to Recognize Leading Bay Area Companies

From coffee roasting and acupuncture to business process outsourcing services, eight Tampa Bay-area businesses are leading the commitment to social, economic and environmental responsibility. They will be honored at the seventh annual Sustainable Business Awards of Tampa Bay luncheon on Wednesday, June 10, at 11:30 a.m. at The University of Tampa’s Vaughn Center.

Presented by The Sustainable Business Coalition of Tampa Bay Inc. and The University of Tampa Center for Ethics, this year’s winners are:

Abby's Health & Nutrition;
Accuform Manufacturing;
Java Planet Organic Coffee Roasters Inc.;
JJ Taylor Distributing Florida Inc.;
NaturZone Pest Control;
Pasco Iron & Metal;
Seminole Heights Community Acupuncture; and
Sykes Enterprises Inc.

The Sustainable Business Awards are sponsored by the Sustany Foundation and recognize and honor for-profit businesses in the Tampa Bay Area that engage in practices that increase economic opportunities and improve the environment and community.

The businesses will be recognized for contributions in building a sustainable economy in Tampa Bay, while embracing the “triple bottom line” — advancing the interests of people, planet and profit through innovative practices, products and services.

The event program will include guest speaker Al Illustrato, vice president of facilities and administration at Tampa International Airport.

The luncheon is open to the public. Tickets are $50 each and can be purchased online at the Sustainable Business Coalition website (sbctampabay.org). Sponsorships are available starting at $500 by contacting (813) 507-1111.

University of Tampa MBA students, under the guidance of Dan Verreault, co-director of the Center for Ethics and accounting professor in UT’s Sykes College of Business, developed an evaluation process to determine the winners based primarily on Global Reporting Initiative guidelines.

“These companies are setting the standards for Tampa Bay area sustainability practices,” Verreault said. “They are taking a people, profit, planet approach to company policies and also realizing significant cost-savings in their operations.”

More than 80 Tampa Bay area businesses have been award winners, including such leading employers as Syniverse, Mosaic, Xerox and Premier Eye Care.

The Sustainable Business Awards are made possible through the generosity of sponsors including Premier Eye Care, The Tampa Bay Times, The Sustany Foundation, The Mosaic Company, MLI Marketing Solutions, AACSB and Carastro & Associates.